Suction-cup for dental plates.



H. R. PRIEST. SUCTION CUP FOR DENTAL PLATES.

APPLIOATION FILED D301. 1013.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH 60.,WASMINOTON, n. c.

Patented June 2, 1914.

H19 Freiesz.

burrs srATns PATENT nanny a. entries, or tounouvittn, OHIO.

SUCTION-CUP FOR DENTAL PLATES.

neonate.

Application filed December 1, 1913.

To all whom it may concern lle it known that l, HARRY It. lnmsr, citizenof the United States, residing at Loudonville, in the county of Ashlandand State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful improvements inEduction-Cups for Dental Plates, of which the following is aspecilication.

ly invention relates to dental plates used in the manufacture ofartificlal dentures and particularly to certain improvements upon thesuction cup illustrated and described 1n the patent granted toBuckwalter and Vl irt, No. 781,589, January 3.1, 1905, and alsoillustrated and described in the patent granted to me N0. 912,977,February 16, 1909.

T he primary object of my present invention is to improve upon the formof the suction cup shown in these two above referred to patents, and toso form the cup that it will not have a tendency to irritate the roof ofthe mouth or irritate the lower aw and so that increased suction will besecured for the cup.

A further object is to so shape the cup that it will keep its shape muchlonger than the cup ordinarily used and that it may be trimmed severaltimes and still maintain a need so cti on.

The object also is to so shape the cup that a thinner plate may be usedthan is ordinarily capable of use with suction cups and to so shape thecup that it will have more nearly the natural shape of the mouth or ofthe artificial denture.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accom' panying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dental plate with a cup constructedin accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of theplate shown in Fig. 1: Fig. 3 is a plan view of the cup; Fig. l is anenlarged cross section of the cup.

Referring to these drawings, 2 designates a dental plate composed ofrubber, or other suitable material, and with which, in practice, theteeth 8 are connected. The body portion of the plate 2 is convex incross and longitudinal section so that the body portion will conform tothe roof or palatine portion of the mouth, and this plate is alsoprovlded with the usual flange or rim 4 forming a groove or space inwhich the gums of the upper jaw Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 1914.

Serial No. eeacae.

l Vhile l have illustrated the denture as being for the upper eeth, Iwish it understood that the principle of my invention may be applied tothe manufacture of suctlon cups for lower sets as well.

lnordcr. to provide means for securely holding the plate of teeth withinthe mouth of the patient, ll form in the upper surface of the plate arecess 5 and secure to the plate and within this recess a rubber disk 6.This suction cup 6 is composed of pure soft rubber and is attached atits center to the plate by any suitable means, as by the button or rivet7.

I do not wish to be limited to the particu lar means whereby the suctioncup is attached to the plate, as this forms no part of my invention.

My present invention has particular relation to the cup 6 and to theshape thereof. In the form of cup shown in the patent to Buckwalter andl vlljt, above referred to, and in the patent granted to me on February16, 1909, the rubber disk forming the cup had a substantially uniformthickness throughout its extent; the margin of the cup, at the edgethereof, had a thickness of substantially one-sixteenth of an inch; andthe rubber disk, which is flat for the purpose of application to theplate, is caused to become concave-convex by the binding action of thecentral. rivet or button.

My invention lies in forming the rubber disk with a feather edge, as itis termed by rubber manufacturers, that is, with a marginal port-ionthinned down so that the extreme edge of the cup is very thin, and thethickness of this marginal portion decreases uniformly toward thecircumference of the cup. This thinning of the marginal portion of thecup makes this marginal portion much more flexible and thereby causes itto conform more exactly to the contour of the roof of the mouth. Thus, amuch better suction is secured than is secured by disks having arelatively thick and more rigid margin.

It will be noted that the disk from which the cup is made is relativelylarge. All gum-rubber has a tendency to swell in the mouth, caused bythe secretions and acids. Because of the relatively large disk used byme the patient can trim the cup several times and still maintain a goodsuction, whereas the smaller, old style dish: cannot be trimmed orreduced in area without ma terially interfering with the vacuum created.

By making the cup so the thickness decreases from the center to theouter edge, that is, by making the cup with a feather edge, it permitsthe plate upon which the cup is mounted to be made thinner, and this isthe desideratum of all dentists. By having the cup thicker in the centerthan at its outer edge, I provide a relatively thick portion of the diskat the point where it is needed, that is, at the point of attachment ofthe cup or disk to the button or rivet holding it to the plate andyetsecurethe thinness and flexibility which is necessary at the marginof the cup in order to secure proper suction. Furthermore, by decreasingthe thickness of the cup from the center to the outer edge, the diskwill not have such a tendency to curl up and become useless.

I have found in practice that by having the rubber disk, as described,molded in the cup shape when the disk is made that it will keep itsshape much longer than possible where the rubber disk is forced into aconcavo-convex form by the binding of the rivet or other attachment.

The practical use of these suction cups in connection with dentures iswell under stood. The plate is inserted into the mouth in the usualmanner and pressed upward so that the suction cup will spread in contactwith the roof or palatine surface of the mouth. The suction cup isexpanded and all air is forced from between the cup and the roof of themouth. The cup will flatten down into the recess 5 when the plate isfully pressed inward and produces a suction which securely holds theplate in position and prevents it from accidentally dropping out orHARRY R. PRIEST.

Witnesses XV. S. HIssnM, A. H. WEIMER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

